[Naturella]

Ooooh, I am learning so much from this website, the forums, all the commenters, feedback-givers, everyone!

So, I have decided to also introduce some RMBs here and there in Bruno’s (my pup’s name) diet. I will scout what is fresh and on sale in my local Walmart/Kroger/Publix and international/farmers’ markets and make friends with the butchers for some special, maybe discounted, cuts. I plan on getting necks (chicken, turkey, pork, lamb, duck, whatever they have), chicken/pig feet, some small animal legs (chicken, rabbit, quail), and organ meats. I will feed Bruno one/day as a special treat and see how that goes. I also plan on introducing coconut oil and ground up organ meat with his breakfast kibble (kibble amount will be reduced a bit to make room for the organ meats).

I am so excited to constantly learn new things on here, thank you all! 🙂

P.S. Anyone know how I can put a picture as my “profile picture”?

[Akari_32]

I find chicken necks to be too small for Bentley, and skin on the pigs feet too tough. However, the Maltese side of him makes him small and dainty, so he doesn’t have chewing power. If the skin was removed from the pigs feet, I think he’d be ok with them. His favorite bones are turkey necks and ham hocks/pig knuckles. Chicken livers and gizards are pretty big, but he figures out how to eat them just fine after a few minutes of problem solving. Unfortunately, we have squat for meats, parts, and organs, and what we do have is crazy high priced, so I don’t get to try much 🙁

Where do you live that you have both Kroger and Publix? That’s funny :p

The profile picture is done through another website. Go up to the very first subforum, and there’s a thread in there that tells you how.

[Naturella]

Akari,

I see, thanks! And yes, I will only scout really good deals on those items myself, and only use them as treats/spare delights. If you have a blender or food processor, you can mix and grind up some organ meats and mix in their kibble (what I plan on doing). I want to give him organ meat at breakfast daily, or at least every other day or something, provided I find good deals on it. I have found international markets to have an exceptional variety of meats and organ meats at delightful prices, I just need to find the time to get to my “local” one 30 min away from where I live.

But, live in Georgia, and we have both Kroger and Publix all over the place, in fact, there is one of each on the same street parallel to my street, so they are 3-4 minutes away each. Is any of there stores region-specific? (Forgive my lack of knowledge, I am not a US native.)

And thanks regarding where to find instructions on the profile picture change. 🙂

[Akari_32]

That’s a good idea, actually. It’s good for my little guy to work on something, though. He’s so crazy, it gives me a few minutes break and him something to keep himself occupied with LOL I believe organ meats should only make up about 10% of the diet, so that’s something to keep in mind.

Hm, I should look into some international markets! There are a few around– more than there are butchers, though!

I work at publix. It started in Florida, and is slowly working its way up north. Kroger is a northern store, and seems to be working a bit faster south than Publix is. I think Kroge started around the Ohio-ish area? Not sure. Publix just opened a store in South Carolina. That was a big deal, apparently. I guess it won’t be long until we start seeing Kroger down here!

[Naturella]

Akari,

This is a good point – the 10% of diet of organ meats. But I think that half his breakfast kibble every other day or less will be just fine. I would give him whole organ meat to play with and eat, but I live in an apartment with mostly carpet, so I think I will stick to chopping it up and putting it in his bowl. I trust necks and feet a bit more with regard to making less of a mess – organ meat, and livers in particular, are quite bloody…

And yes, international markets are awesome, and cheap (at least in Georgia)! They may look a tad different than regular supermarkets, but don’t let that scare you – their produce and meat is usually super fresh!

By “butchers” I meant the people who work the meat sections in supermarkets, lol. I don’t know of any butcher places around me that just butcher and sell meat…

And thanks for the explanation on the Publix and Kroger stores! As I mentioned, I learn so much from everyone here, I am so excited!

Thanks again! 🙂

[Akari_32]

The closest thing we have to butchers are meat markets that sell “exotic” meats. I’m not sure if they get the whole animals (already slaughtered) and then butcher them up, or if they buy the meat fresh at wholesale prices. One has awesome hot dogs and sausages! *drool* Then we’ve got Ukrainian, Middle Eastern and Asian markets. And obviously grocery stores. Lol When I’m feeling adventurous, I’ll have to check out the markets and such.

[Naturella]

Akari,

I see, interesting @ the “exotic meats”, lol! And the international markets you mentioned sound neat! Check them out sometime! They are fun places (to me at least). 🙂

And also, I meant to ask you (and everyone) – what is the stance on natural chews, such as bully sticks, dehydrated meaty bits (gullet strips, tripe and tendon pieces, etc.), antlers, Himalayan Dog Chews, and so on, versus RMBs? Which is better? I know which is less messy, but still, I want to know which is better for a dog, and the one that is worse, how much worse it is? Or (ideally), are they sort of close/equal in the purposes they server (chewing entertainment and nutritional value)?

[DogManDan]

hello all,

i’ve been reading and following on this thread since the first post, i find this thread very informative. I’m glad i stopped over and read 🙂

[Akari_32]

So I think I’ve settled on Grandma Lucy’s for my first go around. I’m still several months off from ordering, but I’ve emailed them asked for some samples, so we’ll see how that goes. This is the cheapest, and over all best, healthiest option, at 50-51 pounds for $60-70. Petflow has also sent me various coupons codes in just the last week, so I don’t think it’ll be too hard to buy it even cheaper.

I’d love to hear your all’s opinions on the food, over all ease of use, etc. Oh, and are the measurements provided on the website for feeding before of after water has been added?

[Molzy]

You should calculate out based on feeding recommendations, not how much food it’ll make. A box of Honest Kitchen makes like 40lbs of food, but only lasts my dog 20 days. When he i on dry kibble, a 30lb bag lasts about 6 weeks. When I was researching foods, I made an excel file with the cost per bag, and then calculated how long a bag would last. This way you can compare daily costs.

Good luck!

[Akari_32]

It says 1 cup makes a pound, more or less. But again, I wouldn’t really be able to determine that with out knowing if the recommendations on the bag are based off if it being dry or rehydrated.

[theBCnut]

How much does it say to feed a 40 pound dog?

[Akari_32]

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/B5FFDB48-76A2-44FE-A357-A840540C5E4E-2800-0000068E8A917F27_zps1e25165d.jpg

It does say at the bottom there that it’s measured dry. Missed that the first time! Derp…

So that would mean my 8 pound dog would be eating almost a whole pound of food?? That seems like a whole lotta food for such a small dog! I’ll have to weigh how much he’s getting now, to compare. That’ll give me an idea for the other dogs, as well.

[theBCnut]

1 pound of food for such a small dog sounds a bit ridiculous, doesn’t it.

[Akari_32]

No, it doesn’t. Thats why I wanted to know if it was measured wet or dry (and why I should apparently learn how to read :p ). Wet would be fine, but dry not so much.

I measured Bentleys food dry (I mix kibble, canned and eggs) and even a whole cup of dry food weighed just above 4 oz (I imagine with the liquids added it would weigh a bit more, but I didn’t prepare their food as normal tonight). He eats a lot for his small size (curse that terrier activity!), but I can’t imagine him eating 4 times as much as he currently eats. Even the one cup is a bit much for him and he lounges around afterwards, but he works off quickly onces it digested….

Hmmmm…..

[Akari_32]

Would a few of you guys care to make a top 10 (or however many) list for me from my 4 mile long thing here? I think I’m over the Grandma Lucy’s (btw, they told me I could BUY samples from them. What the crap good does BUYING samples do for me?? I don’t have the money for that crap, that’s why I asked for some! ‘Tards…).

Small to medium kibbles would be best (for Bentley– Haley and Dweezle do fine on the smaller piece), a few adult-appropriate puppy foods perhaps, and different meats. And please don’t give me all the more expensive ones.

Dr Tims’s Pursuit Active
Dr Tim’s Kinesis ALS
Avoderm Natural Chicken and Brown Rice
By Nature Active
By Nature Pork
California Natural Chicken Meal and Rice Puppy
California Natural Low Fat Chicken Meal
Canidae Life Stages ALS
Canidae Beef and Ocean FIsh Meal
Castor and Pollux Ultramix Beef and Barley
Castor and Pollux Large Breed
Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul ALL
Eagle Pack (all but reduced fat and senior)
Earthborn Puppy Vangate
Earthborn Small Breed
Earthborn Primitive Naturals
Evanger’s Chicken and Brown Rice
Fromm Gold ALL
Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Grain Free Pork
Grandma Lucy’s Artisan Grain Free Chicken
Grandma Lucy’s PureFormance Chicken
Holistic Select Vital Senior
Holistic Select Radiant Adult Chicken
Holistic Select Radiant Adult Lamb
Holistic Select Large and Giant Breed
Holistic Select Anchovy
Horizon Pulsar Grain Free Chicken
Horizon Pulsar Grain Free Fish
Merrick Whole Earth Farms Adult
Merrick Whole Earth Farms Puppy
Merrick Classic Beef
Merrick Classic Lamb
Merrick Classic Chicken
Merrick Classic Adult Large Breed Chicken
Healthwise Chicken Meal and Oatmeal
Natural Balance Ultra
Natural Balance Fat Dogs
Nature’s Recipe Adult Lamb and Rice
Nature’s Recipe ETD Chicken Meal and Barley
Nature’s Recipe Venison
Nature’s Recipe Large Breed
Nature’s Recipe ETD Fish Meal
Nature’s Recipe Healthy Weight
Nature’s Variety Lamb and Oatmeal
Nature’s Variety Chicken Meal and Brown Rice Puppy
Nutrisource Lamb Meal and Rice
PetGuard LifeSpan
Precise Naturals Grain Free Chicken
Premium Edge Healthy Weight 1 Weight Reduction
Solid Gold Wolf Cub
Vet’s Choice ALL
Wellness Complete Health Chicken
Wysong Adult
Wysong Growth Puppy
Acana Chicken and Burbank Potato

[InkedMarie]

The foods from your list that I would buy are Dr Tim’s, Earthborn, Eagle, Fromm, Grandma Lucy’s, Nature’s Variety and Acana.

The foods I wouldn’t feed from your list are Natural Balance and Evangers.

[Akari_32]

The Natural Balance I could understand (what they are vs what they claim to be and charge) but why not Evangers?

[theBCnut]

Evangers is totally gross. They have gotten in trouble in the past for extreme unsanitary conditions. But in addition to that they stole electricity to the tune of a couple million dollars, and they forced their employees to work unpaid overtime, and they got in trouble for selling a duck canned food that didn’t actually contain any duck. VERY SKETCHY!!

[InkedMarie]

http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/2008/ucm116886.htm

http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/CVMUpdates/ucm166265.htm

Busted! Owner of Evanger’s arrested on felony charges

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/25/evangers-dog-and-cat-food_n_512873.html

Just not a reputable company

[Akari_32]

Oh how nice. It’s like another Diamond! Although I think they take it just a little further than Diamond does o.O Alrightly then! Scratch that off the list!

[InkedMarie]

Pretty bad, eh? Its not like it was 10yrs ago when a lot of the foods we have now weren’t even around; there are so many others to choose from.

[Akari_32]

Why would they still even be allowed to stay in buisness after all that??

Anything else on that list I should steer away from? And any others that are good, or suitable for every now and then to help lower the over all cost?

Also, what are your thoughts on Avoderm? It’s sort of intriguing– avacodo is toxic, is it not? Yet this food seems to sell so well, and I see a few people on here using it. And are either of my Canidae choices Diamond?

• This reply was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by Akari_32.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by Akari_32.

[theBCnut]

Avacado is not actually toxic to dogs, or at least not the large majority of them. There have been individual reports of dogs getting sick, but no more than any other ingredient that some dogs are intolerant of. Birds and horses have toxicity problems with avacado and for some reason, that info has been applied to dogs as well, to the point that the DVM that runs the pet poison control has put out a statement about it, and he is the guy that ought to know. Of course, the pit is a choking hazard.

As to why Evangers is still in business, all I can imagine is because our laws protect business, not people and pets.

[InkedMarie]

Oh, I forgot to say, I’d use a NutriSource as well.

[Akari_32]

It’s not so much the quality control (I mean, that’s bad yes, but we all already know the government really doesn’t care about that) as it is the fact they basically were allowed to steal all that oil and electricity! IMO, they should have been shut down right then, not gotten a slap on the wrist. If they had the guts to do that, what else will they think up??

NutriSource, yes 🙂 That’s been checked a few pages ago :p

• This reply was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by Akari_32.

[theBCnut]

That’s how I feel about them, if they will stoop that low, there is no telling what they are capable of.

[Akari_32]

Ha, I just realized my reply to your question “1 pound of food for such a small dog sounds a bit ridiculous, doesn’t it?” was “No, it doesn’t” Whoops! LOL Yes, I mean! Yes it does XD

Anyways! Anything else off my list? (I’m going to revise it here in a second, too, and take off the no-no’s).

[Akari_32]

Revised list. Not too different. Took some off, and added markers at the beginning of each different food.

-Dr Tims’s Pursuit Active
-Dr Tim’s Kinesis ALS
-Avoderm Natural Chicken and Brown Rice
-By Nature Active
-By Nature Pork
-California Natural Chicken Meal and Rice Puppy
-California Natural Low Fat Chicken Meal
-Canidae Life Stages ALS
-Canidae Beef and Ocean FIsh Meal
-Castor and Pollux Ultramix Beef and Barley
-Castor and Pollux Large Breed
-Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul ALL
-Eagle Pack (all but reduced fat and senior)
-Earthborn Puppy Vangate
-Earthborn Small Breed
-Earthborn Primitive Naturals
-Fromm Gold ALL
-Holistic Select Vital Senior
-Holistic Select Radiant Adult Chicken
-Holistic Select Radiant Adult Lamb
-Holistic Select Large and Giant Breed
-Holistic Select Anchovy
-Horizon Pulsar Grain Free Chicken
-Horizon Pulsar Grain Free Fish
-Merrick Whole Earth Farms Adult
-Merrick Whole Earth Farms Puppy
-Merrick Classic Beef
-Merrick Classic Lamb
-Merrick Classic Chicken
-Merrick Classic Adult Large Breed Chicken
-Healthwise Chicken Meal and Oatmeal
-Nature’s Recipe Adult Lamb and Rice
-Nature’s Recipe ETD Chicken Meal and Barley
-Nature’s Recipe Venison
-Nature’s Recipe Large Breed
-Nature’s Recipe ETD Fish Meal
-Nature’s Recipe Healthy Weight
-Nature’s Variety Lamb and Oatmeal
-Nature’s Variety Chicken Meal and Brown Rice Puppy
-Nutrisource Lamb Meal and Rice
-PetGuard LifeSpan
-Precise Naturals Grain Free Chicken
-Premium Edge Healthy Weight 1 Weight Reduction
-Solid Gold Wolf Cub
-Vet’s Choice ALL
-Wellness Complete Health Chicken
-Wysong Adult
-Wysong Growth Puppy
-Acana Chicken and Burbank Potato

[Naturella]

Akari,

I also have a similar food list myself, although a lot shorter (for now).
Of your foods, I would feed the grain-free versions of:
Dr. Tim’s, Acana, Wysong, Wellness, Earthborn Holistic and Canidae.

On my list I also have Back to Basics (not the GF versions), and the GF versions of Victor, Orijen, EVO, Innova Prime, amd Timberwolf. Some of those are quite pricy so I would use them as “mixers” to a bigger bag of more affordable food, for example mix a small bag (4-6 lbs) of Back to Basics in a big bag (12-18 lbs) of Wellness Core Wild Game, etc. I would also use Wysong Epigen as a mixer food, the prices I found were … mixer-food-like, lol.

My “maybe” list consists of GF versions of all Dogswell Live Free, Nutrisca, Taste of the Wild, and Blue Buffalo Wilderness (although Bruno is on it right now and seems to be doing great).

But your list looks great too, I may be snatching ideas from it myself! 🙂

[Akari_32]

I’ve given up on Innova and it’s side buddies. As soon as P&G’s contract to keep the formula the same was up earlier this year, Innova, Prime, Evo, and a few of their other brands had a huge, continuous recall for several months, in both the dog and cat foods. I was not happy with the whole situation at all. It started in March, and the foods are just now back on the shelves in sustainable numbers, after having been off and on in varying amounts for the last couple months. I’ll be giving them a while to figure themselves out, personally. I don’t understand why such a good company with no recalls would sell out stupid P&G!

Wellness Core is just too much. Its quite possibly my favorite grain free food, but I’m just a poor college student LOL I do have one Wellness formula on my list, it’s not a grain free though. I do intend to keep an eye out for it to go on sale on PetFlow, though. There are plenty of foods that are on my mental sale watch list :p

I’m not a fan of Nutrisca. Can’t say why. Maybe it’s the price lol It’s expensive in stores here.

[Naturella]

Oh, wow, I didn’t know that about Innova and EVO, thanks for the info! I may need to take them off my list too…

As for Nutrisca, PetFlow had a great deal on a 4-lb bag, for $5.00 a few weeks ago! So that will be my Dr. Tim’s Kinesis GF ALS 15-lb bag “mixer”. Also, I do recall you have 3 dogs of various sizes, and I only have one 11-pounder who eats about 3/4-1 cup food max per day, so 19 lbs or so would last him a good while (my guess is 3ish months). So I understamd the budgeting restrictions. But deal scoping on Petflow, Chewy, Wag, PetFoodDirect, and Amazon does help! I think the list you have compiled has great, affordable foods in there, so it would be a win-win for you and your pups! 🙂

[pugmomsandy]

Nutrisca is made by Dogswell who continues to use Chinese chicken in it’s jerky. I’m not sure if it’s in their kibble so I don’t buy any chicken from them. I was ordering just the lamb kibble and canned but I’ve marked them off my list totally recently.

[InkedMarie]

I’d feed Dr Tim’s, Eagle, EArthborn, Holistic Select, Natures Variety, NutriSource and Acana

[Akari_32]

It’s up to you, Aleksandra. It’s just like some people continue to use Diamond. Personal preference, really. That’s a great deal on Nutrisca, though! Wholly cow. I think it’s right up there with Blue Buffalo and Innova in cost here, and no coupons (except for some $3 ones once). And no sales. Never seen it seen on sale in stores.

It saddens me that your 11 pound dogs eats as much as my 8 pound dog >.< Bentley can’t help he’s a hyper active lunatic D: lol

That’s probably it, Sandy. Too many china things to remember! Dogswell brand food is sold in Publix, and it looks good on paper, but I beleive I read somewhere about it being basically like an other Diamond product, with iffy ingredients and I think improper labeling or something? And it sports a little Made in the USA flag, while some of ingredients are not sourced in the states at all. Oh, marketing, you so silly.

Thanks Marie 🙂 Those were at the top of my list, the bottom being I think Natures Recipe and Canidae. I plan on trying everything at least once, and see how it goes. I may go back through and take out any fish ones, as Bentley doesn’t like fish. Or I may just say sucks to be him and he can eat it anyways LOL

[theBCnut]

Akari
I envy you your long list. I have one dog that, so far, can have 2 brands. Fortunately, I have 2 dogs that can eat all his rejects, so far.

[Akari_32]

Thankfully I ruled out all food allergies with Bentley (thought it was chicken, then grain, and now we are certain it’s grass or something else growing in the yard), so I’m open to just about anything food wise. He likes red meats best, but eats anything other than fish no problem (and he’ll eat the fish, he just ain’t happy about it LOL). He esspetially seems to love the chewy bits of lamb in the Purina One… Yuck! The other dogs don’t care what it is, if it’s even slightly etable, they’ll eat it (this also includes the occational dead animal in the yard, and plants the little brats unpot if I don’t keep an eye on them -_-). My nonpicky dogs make choosing a food easy :3

[Eldee]

I am so pleased with both the price of merricks whole earth farms food and the quality. The senior canned food is gobbled up by my two in no time, and the finicky chow who won’t touch a hot dog wiener, loves it. The cans up until last week were $1.99 in Canada, but now are $2.39 per tin. I guess I should have bought a couple of cases last week when I was shopping.

[Naturella]

Akari,

Today I received another coupon in the mail for Vets Choice Holistic Health Extension from Petland for $11.99 off amy bag of dog food of that brand. Naturally, I rushed to the store and snatched up a 4-lb bag of their grain free food for $1.64 of my own cash! Now, idk if it is just my local Petland or if all of their prices are comparable, but I would suggest that you sign up for their rewards points thing or whatever it is they use for coupons and discounts sending. I noticed Vets Choice are foods you would feed, and they have some super neat deals in store, the small bags run around $11.99-$13.99, and the big bags are pretty afforfable too! Same with their Earthborn Holistic! Great deals!

And I know you mentioned you live in FL, and that you’d rather shop in store vs. have something delivered, so here is a link to the Petland locations in FL. Hope at least one is close enough to you and that they have similar deals! Good luck!

http://stores.petland.com/FindPetlandStores/Florida.htm

[Akari_32]

That’s awesome! Good job 🙂

The closest PetLand is about 45-60 minutes away. Not the best shop around, either. Grimy and dirty, and they sell puppies. Yuck… But for 1.64 a bag of food, I could make a trip up there and get a few lol

How does one sign up for their emails? I went all over the petland website and found nowhere to sign up.

[Naturella]

Akari,

Sigh, I wish there was one closer to you (not for anything but the great deals I saw on both Vets Choice and Earthborn)… And yes, yuck to selling puppies… =/

But anywho, I think I signed up in the store, I may have bought a tiny little something, and you know, at the register they usually ask you if you want to sign up for their “whatever-named” reward/point/something program, so you give them name, phone number, probably address, and voila! Let the free food flow! LoL!

But really, I would say, ask your close friends to go there and sign up too, even if (ESPECIALLY when) they don’t have dogs, so they can get the coupons and get you the food.

I only bought the small bag, which in all varieties but the Grain Free would have been absolutely free, but a larger bag will be more than $1.64 after coupon, but STILL way less than if ordered online or bought at other places.

Your local stores may have other comparable deals on good food, so don’t discount that opportunity! But I think Petland overall has a deal or something with Vets Choice so they promote their products a lot, good thing the food is 4/4.5-star rated! 🙂

But yeah, happy hunting, let me know if you have any questions, and if the coupons work out!

P.S. Teach ME how to coupon for dog food, please! I don’t even know where to start! =/

[Akari_32]

I’ll have to go up there and do that. Free and cheap dog food sounds good to me!

I get emails from PetSmart, Petco and Pet Supermarket, who send me various coupons and deal alerts. I’m always on the look out, even when I don’t need any dog food lol

The key to couponing is to match up sales with coupons, and buy as cheaply as possible. Like you just learned, buy small bags. It’s cheaper to buy crap-tons of small bags with multiple coupons than it is to buy a large bag with one coupon. Usually, anyways. Sometimes it comes out the same (in which case, mix and match flavors :p) and rarely will it come out to be more expensive. I tend to use dollars off an order, as well as manufacturer coupons and competitor coupons on each item. Petsmart is the easiest place to do this, IME.

For instance:

Petsmart has their 4 pound bags of Wellness Core on sale for $13.99
Wellness ALWAYS has $5 off coupons on their website, reset monthly so you can print them out every time you need pet food. These are good on any size bag of dog or cat food.
PetCo usually had wellness coupons out as well, we’ll say its $3, since they don’t have at the moment. Usually it’s $5 off any bag of Core, though.
Pet Supermarket has monthly $4 off $20 orders.

Buy two bags of the wellness. Total with tax before coupons is $29.94. Apply the $4 off $20, and it’s $25.94. Apply the two $5 off any bag of wellness, and it’s $15.94. Then the two petco $3 off, and the total comes out to $9.94 for what was originally two $18 bags of dog food. There are some weird taxes applied and not applied to certain coupons, so this is an estimate, but it gives you the general idea 🙂

This all mainly depends on the store and the cashiers working at the time. I’ve Learned who I can and can’t get away with certain things with. Some stores have a strict coupon policy. Your best bet is to go in there like you own the place and know exactly what you’re doing, and do a test run. And always have a couple back up plans. I tend to have 2-3 couponing scenarios when I go out. It takes time to plan, but it’s worth it!

[Naturella]

Akari,

You are my couponing guru!!! 🙂

Thanks so much for the info! I will certainly get on this, as I plan to obtain some Wellness Core, Victor GF (they have awesome cheap samples on their website http://www.victorpet.com/ ), and maybe some Back to Basics for Bruno’s after-next batch of mixed food (the upcoming batch will consist of Dr. Tim’s Kinesis GF, Nutrisca, and Vets Choice GF, total of 23 lbs of food, should last him a good 4-ish months).

But yes, thanks so much for the info again, and hope Petland does the trick for you to get bunches of cheap, good dog food! 🙂

[Akari_32]

Man I wish 23 pounds lasted me 4 months! Lucky lol

Let me know how your couponing trips go 🙂

[cmeeks]

So i’ve been going through this same dilemna myself for a few months. I have puppy now that started off feeding Blue Wilderness, which is amazing! I have no complaints, other than the fact that she was usually eating better than me lol. I figured if i’m spending more on my puppies food than I do on myself, something’s wrong. After lot’s of searching and researching online, I stumbled upon Iams Smart Puppy. I know! Everyone on this forum is going to be snobby towards Iams, but i’m here to vouch whole heartedly for it. It’s rated three stars, but for the price it is incredible. Petsmart has it for sure, my Walmart doesnt carry it though. For someone who is on a budget, this is some of the best out there in my opinion. A 38 pound bag for $34. This is about what it is in Petsmart to I think.

[InkedMarie]

Some of us are “snobby” due to the ingredients. Some of us also feed our dogs what we feel is best by looking at ingredients and guaranteed analysis. If you feel it’s incredible, good for you. There are other foods out there for budget conscious people with much better ingredients.

[cmeeks]

I never meant anything mean in regards to being snobby, I was dog food snobby to at first. I look at the ingredients in some of the food I eat and if I run them through “guaranteed analysis” they would probably fail.

Honestly, if anyone has a better alternative to Smart Puppy for a COMPARABLE price, I will surely try it.

[theBCnut]

How can you not mean anything by calling people snobby?

[InkedMarie]

Some better priced good foods would be dr Tim’s grain inclusives (there are three), Earthborn, Victor, Merrick whole earth farms, hi Tek naturals, off the top of my head. I don’t know if they’re comparable to Iams, I don’t feed food like that so I don’t know.

[cmeeks]

Thanks for the Dr Tim’s recommendations! I checked them all out and found Victor to be my favorite option. You can get a 40 pound bag for around $50 bucks! That seems like a really good deal for a 4 star food, especially since it seems the designer brands don’t usually sell bags much bigger than around 30 pounds. I’m seriously thinking of ordering me a bag.

The goal I have in my head is to keep the price at around $1 per pound. I know that’s arbitrary, but it’s just a budgeting goal I have. The Victor is close though. Anyone have anymore good options for budget friendly dog foods?

[Author]

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